Method for wrapping a floral grouping using a material having a tick mark

ABSTRACT

A wrapping material for wrapping a floral arrangement, comprising a sheet of material having an angle cut, the sheet of material having tick marks to indicate where to dispose a floral arrangement thereupon. The sheet of material has a bonding material disposed thereupon. A floral arrangement is utilized, the floral arrangement being disposed on the sheet of material generally in the area designated by the tick mark, the floral arrangement being wrapped in the sheet of material and being substantially surrounded and encompassed therein. Methods of using the wrapping material to wrap a floral arrangement.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/366,847, filedDec. 30, 1994, entitled METHOD OF WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING USING AMATERIAL HAVING POSITIONING MARKS; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser.No. 08/010,899, filed Jan. 29, 1993, entitled METHOD OF WRAPPING AFLORAL GROUPING USING A MATERIAL HAVING POSITIONING MARKS; now U.S. Pat.No. 5,381,642; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No.07/968,798, filed Oct. 30, 1992, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FORCOVERING PORTIONS OF AN OBJECT WITH A SHEET OF MATERIAL HAVING APRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVE COATING APPLIED TO AT LEAST A PORTION OF ATLEAST ONE SURFACE OF THE SHEET OF MATERIAL, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,934;which is a continuation of Ser. No. 07/865,563, filed Apr. 9, 1992,entitled METHODS FOR WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING, now U.S. Pat. No.5,245,814; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/649,379, filedJan. 31, 1991, entitled METHOD FOR WRAPPING AN OBJECT WITH A MATERIALHAVING PRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVE THEREON, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,638;which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/249,761, filed Sep. 26,1988, entitled METHOD FOR WRAPPING AN OBJECT WITH A MATERIAL HAVINGPRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVE THEREON, now abandoned.

Said application Ser. No. 08/010,899 is also a continuation-in-part ofU.S. Ser. No. 07/965,585, filed Oct. 23, 1992, entitled WRAPPING AFLORAL GROUPING WITH SHEETS HAVING ADHESIVE OR COHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIEDTHERETO, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.07/893,586, filed Jun. 2, 1992, entitled WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING WITHSHEETS HAVING ADHESIVE OR COHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIED THERETO, now U.S.Pat. No. 5,181,364; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/707,417,filed May 28, 1991, entitled WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING WITH SHEETSHAVING ADHESIVE OR COHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIED THERETO, now abandoned;which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/502,358, filed Mar. 29,1990, entitled WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING WITH SHEETS HAVING ADHESIVE ORCOHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIED THERETO, now abandoned.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to wrapping materials, and, moreparticularly, to wrapping materials having a tick mark and an angle cutfor wrapping individual flowers or a floral arrangement, and the methodof using same.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the wrapping material of the presentinvention showing the upper surface, the wrapping material having abonding material extending near one side, the wrapping material alsohaving an angle cut and tick marks.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the wrapping material of FIG. 1, butshowing a floral arrangement disposed thereon, generally between tickmarks.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wrapping material of FIGS. 1-2, butshowing a partially wrapped floral arrangement.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the wrapping material of FIGS. 1-2, butshowing a partially wrapped floral arrangement.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the wrapping material of FIGS. 1-2, butshowing a wrapped floral arrangement.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the wrapping material of FIG. 1, butshowing a continuous roll of material comprising a plurality of sheetsof material contained within a roll in a dispenser, each sheet havingperforation therein.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the wrapping material of FIG. 1, butshowing a continuous roll of material comprising a plurality of sheetsof material contained within a roll.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the wrapping material of FIGS. 1-2, butshowing a plurality of sheets comprising a pad, a floral arrangementdisposed upon the top sheet of material.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the wrapping material of FIG. 8, butshowing a partially wrapped floral arrangement.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the wrapping material of FIG. 8, butshowing a partially wrapped floral arrangement.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the wrapping material of FIG. 8, butshowing a wrapped floral arrangement.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Floral arrangements and individual flowers are usually wrapped in awrapping material, to protect the delicate blooms and foliage fromdamage. The wrapping material utilized frequently is square orrectangular and has a bonding material thereon, such as an adhesive orcohesive, so that the wrapping material retains its wrapped shape, andsecurely encompasses the floral arrangement in order to protect it. Thistype of wrapping material, however, has its disadvantages.

A significant disadvantage occurs when a rectangular or square sheet ofwrapping material is wrapped about a single flower or a small groupingof flowers. The flower(s) are disposed on the sheet of wrapping materialat an oblique angle. The desired effect is to have sufficient wrappingto cover the bloom portion of the flower(s), while permitting the stemportion to extend from the wrapping. To wrap one or more flowers, asignificant portion of the sheet of material must be tucked around thestem area, creating undue bulk, resulting in a lumpy wrapped appearancein the stem area of the wrapped flower(s), and generally detracting fromthe aesthetic appearance of the wrapped flower(s).

Further, to properly wrap a single flower or a small grouping offlowers, the flower(s) should be disposed in a particular position, sothat the upper portion of the wrapping fully protects the delicate bloomportion of the flower(s), while the stem portion is exposed and extendsfrom the wrap, enabling the flower(s) to be kept fresh by immersing orwetting the stem end(s) of the flower(s) in water (by using any methodknown in the art). Failure to dispose the flower(s) in a particularposition may cause the bloom portion to extend away from the protectionof the wrapping material, permitting possible damage to occur to thebloom(s). Further, the complete stem end(s) of the flower(s) may bewrapped, so that it is difficult or impossible to immerse a portion ofthe stem end(s) in water, thus causing the flower(s) to wilt much morerapidly. Therefore, failure to properly wrap single flower(s), or smallgroupings of flowers(s), can result in damage to the flower(s), whichinterferes with a recipient's enjoyment of the beauty and visual qualityof the gift of a single flower, a small grouping of flowers, or a floralarrangement.

The present invention contemplates a wrapping material which has abonding material thereon (the bonding material being described in detailbelow), which is separable into sheets which have specific angles cuttherein, and which having markings disposed in certain locations on eachsheet of material (the markings comprise "tick marks," which will bedescribed in further detail below), which permit an operator to disposea flower or small grouping of flowers in a specific location on thesheet of material, and to wrap the sheet of material around theflower(s) in a manner which places only the necessary wrapping about thestem area, but leaves the stem end(s) exposed as desired so that thestem ends may be immersed in water or kept dampened, preventing wilting.The present invention also permits sufficient wrapping of the materialabout the bloom(s), protectively surrounding the bloom portion of theflower(s) to reduce damage. Therefore, the present inventioncontemplates a sheet of wrapping material for single flower(s) orgroupings of flowers which acts to enhance, protect and preserve theaesthetic appearance of the flower(s).

THE EMBODIMENT OF FIGS. 1-2

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, designated generally by the referencenumeral 10 is a wrapping material which is constructed in accordancewith the present invention. The wrapping material 10 comprises at leastone sheet of material 12. The sheet of material 12 has an upper surface14, a lower surface 16 (one edge of the sheet material lifted forillustration purposes only), and an outer periphery 18. The outerperiphery 18 of the sheet of material 12 further comprises a first side20, a second side 22, a third side 24, a fourth side 26, a fifth side28, and a sixth side 30. The sheet of material 12 also has a bondingmaterial 32, which is described in detail below.

The sheet of material 12 is utilized to wrap a floral arrangement 34."Floral arrangement" as used herein means cut fresh flowers, artificialflowers, other fresh and/or artificial plants or other floral materialsand may include other secondary plants and/or ornamentation which add tothe aesthetics of the overall floral arrangement 34. The floralarrangement 34 comprises a flower end 36 which may comprise either abloom or a foliage portion, and the floral arrangement 34 also comprisesa stem end 38. However, it will be appreciated that the floralarrangement 34 may consist of only a single bloom or only foliage (notshown). In one embodiment, the floral arrangement 34 comprises a smallgrouping of flowers, for example, six long stemmed roses (not shown). Inan alternative embodiment, the floral arrangement 34 comprises a singleflower, such as a long-stemmed rose, as shown in FIG. 2.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-2, the sheet of material 12 isasymmetrically shaped. It will be appreciated, however, that any shapeor size of sheet of material 12 may be used to wrap a floral arrangement34 as long as it is sufficiently sized and shaped to wrap and encompassthe floral arrangement 34, and accomplishes the purposes describedherein. For example, the sheet of material 12 may also comprise othergeometric or non-geometric shapes. When multiple sheets of material 12are used together, they may be connected together or laminated, or maycomprise separate layers. Finally, it will be appreciated that the sheetof material 12 shown in all embodiments herein is substantially flat.

The sheet of material 12 may be constructed of a single sheet ofmaterial 12 or a plurality of sheets of material 12. Any thickness ofthe sheet of material 12 may be utilized in accordance with the presentinvention as long as the sheet of material 12 may be wrapped about afloral arrangement 34, as described herein. Typically the sheet ofmaterial 12 has a thickness in a range of less than about 0.2 mils toabout 10 mils. In a preferred embodiment, the sheet of material 12 isconstructed from one sheet of man-made organic polymer film having athickness in a range of from less than about 0.5 mils to about 2.5 mils.

The sheet of material 12 is constructed from any suitable material thatis capable of being wrapped about a floral arrangement 34. Preferably,the wrapping material 10 comprises paper (untreated or treated in anymanner), cellophane, foil, polymer film, fibre (woven or non-woven orsynthetic or natural), cloth (woven or non-woven or natural orsynthetic), burlap, or any combination thereof.

The term "polymer" is used herein means any polymer film. For example,but not by way of limitation, one polymer film is a polypropylene film.Another example of a polymer film, but not by way of limitation, iscellophane. Polymer films are well known in the art, and commerciallyavailable.

The sheet of material 12 may vary in color. Further, the sheet ofmaterial 12, may consist of designs which are printed, etched, and/orembossed; in addition, the sheet of material 12 may have variouscolorings, coatings, flockings, and/or metallic finishes, or becharacterized totally or partially by pearlescent, translucent,transparent, iridescent, or the like characteristics. Each of theabove-named characteristics may be occur alone or in combination.Moreover, each surface of the sheet of material 12 may vary in thecombination of such characteristics.

The sheet of material 12 has a width 40 (FIG. 2) extending generallybetween the first side 20 and the second side 22, respectively,sufficiently sized whereby the sheet of material 12 can be wrapped aboutand substantially surrounded and compass a floral arrangement 32. Thesheet of material 12 has a length 42 (FIG. 2) extending generallybetween the third side 24 and the fourth side 26, respectively,sufficiently sized whereby the sheet of material 12 extends over asubstantial portion of the floral arrangement 34 when the sheet ofmaterial 12 has been wrapped about the floral arrangement 34 inaccordance with the present invention shown and described in detailherein.

The sheet of material 12 may further comprise an ink, dye, and/orpigment (not shown). Such inks, dyes, and pigments are known in the art,and are commercially available, and may be disposed upon or incorporatedin the sheet of material 12 by any method described herein or known inthe art. For example, the ink, dye, or pigment may form a portion of adesign or decoration on the sheet of material. Such a design ordecoration may comprise any geometric, non-geometric, or fanciful form,such as flowers, leaves, and the like.

The sheet of material 12 also comprises a bonding material 32. The term"bonding material" as used herein means an adhesive, preferably apressure sensitive adhesive, a thermal sensitive adhesive, or acohesive. Where the bonding material 32 is a cohesive, a similarcohesive material must be placed on the adjacent surface for bondinglycontacting and bondingly engaging with the cohesive material. The term"bonding material" also includes materials which are heat sealable and,in this instance, the adjacent portions of the material must be broughtinto contact and then heat must be applied to affect the seal. The term"bonding material" is used herein also means a heat sealing lacquerwhich may be applied to the sheet of material and, in this instance,heat must also be applied to effect sealing. The term "bonding material"is used herein means any type of material or thing which can be used toaffect the bonding or connecting the two adjacent portions of thematerial or the sheet of material 12 as described herein.

The bonding material 32 may comprise varying bonding characteristicswhen disposed on certain portions of the sheet of material 12. "Varyingbonding characteristics" means less adhesion or cohesion of the bondingmaterial 32, that is, less "tack" of the bonding material 32. Therefore,when the bonding material 32 is disposed on a sheet of material, thebonding material 32 may have varying bonding characteristics, that is,less bonding characteristics at or near one portion of the sheet ofmaterial 12, for example, near the junction of the first side 20 and thethird side 24, than is present along the remainder of the bondingmaterial 32. It will be appreciated that less bonding of the bondingmaterial 32 may be located at any point in the bonding material 32,however.

Further, the bonding material 32 may also comprise at least one colorderived from dye, ink, and/or pigment, as previously described herein.Bonding materials 32 as described herein are known in the art andcommercially available.

A bonding material 32 is disposed upon the sheet of material 12,preferably on a surface, that is the upper surface 14, the lower surface16, or a combination thereof. The bonding material 32 is also preferablydisposed near at least one side. The bonding material 32 may be disposedon the sheet of material 12 by any method known in the art, including,but not by way of limitation, painting it thereupon, praying itthereupon, brushing it thereupon, and/or lacquering it thereupon. Thebonding material 32, as previously described, is preferably a pressuresensitive adhesive. Such use of adhesives, and particularly pressuresensitive adhesives is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,638, entitled,"Method For Wrapping An Object With A Material Having Pressure SensitiveAdhesive Thereon," which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-2, the bonding material 32 is showndisposed near the first side 20 of the sheet of material. It will beappreciated, however, that the bonding material 32 may be disposed onany surface or combination of surfaces of the sheet of material 12, aslong as the placement of the bonding material 32 is consistent with thepurposes described herein.

The sheet of material 12 shown in FIGS. 1-2 is angle cut. "Angle cut,"as used herein, means a diagonal and/or oblique angle which is cut intoa sheet of material. The angle cuts shown in FIGS. 1-2 comprise thefifth side 28 and the sixth side 30 of the sheet of material 12. It willbe understood, however, that any number of angle cuts cut be utilized ina sheet of material 12, as long as the purpose as described herein isobtained. Further any geometric cut, non-geometric cut, or combinationthereof may also be utilized, as long as it is consistent with thepurpose of the present invention.

The sheet of material 12 preferably has one or more markings referred toas "tick marks" 46. (Only one marking, that is, "tick mark" designatedas tick mark 46). "Tick mark" means any mark (such as a straight line,curved line, or the like), letter or combination of letters, symbols(such as a flower, bloom, stem, leaves, arrow, geometric shapes, ornon-geometric shape), or combination thereof, which is utilized toindicate precisely where to dispose the floral arrangement 34 on thesheet of material 12. Such tick marks 46 permits the floral arrangement34 to be disposed in an optimal position on the sheet of material 12,and also permits the sheet of material 12 to be wrapped about the floralarrangement 34 in a manner which renders an attractive wrapping, thusenhancing the aesthetic appeal of the floral arrangement 34. The tickmarks 46 indicate to an operator where to place the flower end 36 of afloral arrangement 34. The tick marks 46 also indicate to an operatorwhere to place the stem end 38 of the floral arrangement 34. When afloral arrangement 34 is placed on the sheet of material 12 as indicatedby the tick marks 46, the flower end 36 will be wrapped so that theflower end 36 is completely, but loosely, surrounded by the sheet ofmaterial 12, while the stem end 38 of the floral arrangement 34 willextend a distance away from the wrapping, permitting the stem end to bewetted or immersed in water.

THE METHOD OF USE OF FIGS. 3-5

The floral arrangement 34 is disposed upon the sheet of material 12, andwrapped in the sheet of material, in a method of use. Such a method ofuse is disclosed and taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,364, issued Jan. 26,1993, entitled, "Wrapping A Floral Grouping With Sheets Having Adhesiveor Cohesive Material Applied Thereto," which is hereby incorporated byreference herein.

In a general method of use of the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 3-5,the wrapping material 10 comprising a single sheet of sheet of material12 and a floral arrangement 34, as previously described, are provided.The sheet of material 12 is sized to wrap about and substantiallysurround and encompass a floral arrangement 34. The floral arrangement34 is disposed on the sheet of material 12 using the tick marks 46 as aguide to the precise placement of the floral arrangement. The tick marks46 permit the floral arrangement 34 to be placed in an optimal positionfor wrapping, wherein when wrapped, the floral arrangement 34 will havean optimal aesthetic appearance. The sheet of material 12 is thenwrapped about the floral arrangement 34.

A portion of the sheet of material 12, such as the fifth side 28 of thesheet of material 12, overlaps at least one other portion of the sheetof material 12 (FIGS. 3-4). The overlapping portions of the sheet ofmaterial 12 are bonded to the sheet of material 12 by their contact withthe bonding material 32 on the upper surface 14 of the sheet of material12 which bondingly connects to the overlapping portions of the sheet ofmaterial 12, whereby the fifth side 28 and the second side 22 of thesheet of material 12 are bonded to overlapping portions of the sheet ofmaterial 12 generally between the third side 24 and the fourth side 26of the sheet of material 12 whereby there are no loose flaps formed byunbonded portions of the sheet of material 12 (FIGS. 4-5). The sheet ofmaterial 12 substantially encompasses and surrounds a substantialportion of the flower end 36 of the floral arrangement 34 and asubstantial portion of the stem end 38 of the floral arrangement 34. Thesheet of material 12 is held about the floral arrangement 34 by thebonding of the overlapping portions of the sheet of material 12, thesheet of material 12 being preferably tightly wrapped about the stem end38 oft he floral arrangement 34, a portion of the stem end 38 extrudingfrom the wrapped sheet of material 12 (FIG. 5).

The sheet of material 12 wrapped about the floral arrangement 34 forms awrapping which may be a conically shaped wrapping (FIG. 5) or which maybe a cylindrically shaped wrapping (not shown), or which may compriseother geometric forms (square, rectangular, and the like) ornon-geometric or asymmetrical formed wrappings (not shown). The wrappinghas an opening extending through a lower end 48 thereof and an openingextending through the upper end 50 thereof with the stem end 38 of thefloral arrangement 34 extending through the opening in the lower end 48and the flower end 36 of the floral arrangement 34 being exposed nearthe opening in the upper end 50 thereof, the upper end 50 of thewrapping being preferably loosely wrapped about the flower end 36 of thefloral arrangement 34.

FIGS. 3-5 show one specific method of use. The sheet of material 12 isdisposed on a relatively horizontal surface (not shown). The floralarrangement 34 is disposed on the upper surface 14 of the sheet ofmaterial 12, using the tick marks 46 located on the sheet of material 12as a guide to the optimal placement of the floral arrangement 34 on thesheet of material 12. A portion of the sheet of material 12 (generallythe portion near the fifth side 28) and placed over a portion of thefloral arrangement 34, as shown in FIG. 3. In this position, the sheetof material 12 is rolled over the floral arrangement 34, and the sheetof material 12 and the floral arrangement 34 are then gently rolled in ageneral direction 53 (FIGS. 3-4) whereby the sheet of material 12 andthe floral arrangement 34 contained therein are rolled across thesurface, the floral arrangement 34 being rolled into the sheet ofmaterial 12, thereby rolling the sheet of material 12 generally aboutthe floral arrangement 34 and containing and substantially encompassingand surrounding the floral arrangement 34 within the sheet of material12.

The sheet of material 12 and the floral arrangement 34 are continuedrolled in a rolling direction 54 and in the direction 52 generallytoward the first side 20 of the sheet of material 12 until the floralarrangement 34 is disposed generally adjacent the first side 20 of thesheet of material 12, as shown in FIG. 4. In this position, the operatorcontinues to roll the sheet of material 12 and the floral arrangement 34disposed thereon in the rolling direction 54 and in the generaldirection 52 thereby rolling the sheet of material 12 across the surfaceand in doing so causing portions of the bonding material 32 thereon tobond to adjacent portions of the sheet of material 12. The adjacentlower surface 16 of the sheet of material 12 near the fifth side 28 andthe second side 22 of the sheet of material 12 are then bondinglyconnected to the bonding material 32 on the upper surface 14 of thesheet of material 12, thereby securing the sheet of material 12 toitself, and securely wrapping the floral arrangement 34, as shown inFIG. 5.

It will be appreciated that the sheet of material 12 used to wrap afloral arrangement 34 may be provided, as described above, as a topsheet of material in a pad of sheets of material 12, or as a singlesheet of material 12 severed from a roll of wrapping material 10, or asa sheet of material 12 removed from a roll of sheets of material 12 in adispenser. Pads of sheets of material 12, rolls of sheets of material12, and rolls supplied in a dispenser are described below.

THE EMBODIMENT OF FIGS. 6-7

Illustrated in FIGS. 6-7 is a modified material 10a which is constructedexactly like the material 10 shown in FIGS. 1-2 and described in detailpreviously except that the material 10a comprises a roll 56 of sheets ofmaterial 12a contained within a dispenser 58, as shown in FIG. 6. Theroll 56 contains a material 10a comprising a plurality of sheets ofmaterial 12a in the roll 56, the sheets of material 12a being connectedby perforations to form the roll 56 (the sheet of material 12a shownpartially detached and turned upward for illustration purposes only).The roll 56 may be provided without a dispenser 58 as well, as shown inFIG. 7. The perforations connecting the sheets of material 12a whichform the roll 56 permit one sheet of material 12a to be withdrawn fromthe roll 56, and the sheet of material 12a is detached or severed fromthe roll 56.

Alternatively, the roll 56 may simply be formed as a continuous roll 56without perforations, and the wrapping material 10a may be withdrawnfrom the roll 56 and a portion may be severed into separate sheets ofmaterial 12a by a serrated cutting edge (not shown) contained within thedispenser 58, or by a separate cutting element (not shown). Any numberof sheets of material 12a may form the roll 56 as long as it is possibleto withdraw at least one sheet of material 12a from the roll 56. It willbe understood therefore that the roll 56 may comprise only one sheet ofmaterial 12a, without the dispenser 58 (not shown).

It will also be appreciated that the sheet of material 12a may containperforations which not only separate the roll 56 into separate sheets ofmaterial 12a, but which are also provided within each sheet of material12a, to permit portions within the sheet of material 12a to be removed,so that an angle cut sheet of material 12a may be created. Suchperforated sheets of material 12a are shown in FIG. 6. Alternatively,however, after each sheet of material 12a is removed from the roll 56,the sheet of material 12a may be die cut by a cutting edge (not shown)so that the sheet of material 12a has one or more angle cuts. The sheetof material 12a may be cut by any means known in the art.

THE EMBODIMENT AND METHOD USE OF FIGS. 8-11

Illustrated in FIGS. 8-11 is a modified material 10 which is constructedexactly like the material 10 shown in FIGS. 1-2, and described in detailpreviously, except that the sheet of material 12b comprises a pluralityof sheets of material 12b connected together to form a pad 60 of sheetsof material 12b. The pad 60 comprises a plurality of sheets of material12b stacked one on top of the other and positioned so that the periphery18b, that is, the first sides 20b, the second sides 22b, the third sides24b, the fourth sides 26b, the fifth sides 28b, and the sixth sides 30bof the sheets of material 12b in the pad 60 generally are aligned.

Referring to FIG. 8, the pad 60 further comprises a top sheet ofmaterial 62 and a next sheet of material 64 disposed thereunder, theother sheets of material 12b being disposed under the next sheet ofmaterial 64 in the pad 60 of the sheets of material 12b. Each sheet ofmaterial 12b in the pad 60 may have a bonding material 32b disposedthereupon, near at least a portion of the periphery 18b of each sheet ofmaterial 12b, and each sheet of material 12b having a bonding material32b thereon is bondingly connectable to a portion of another sheet ofmaterial 12b for cooperating to connect the sheets of material 12b intothe pad 60.

The top sheet of material 62 is capable of being disconnected from thepad 60 of sheets of material 12b. When the top sheet of material 62 isdisconnected, the next sheet of material 64 forms the new top sheet ofmaterial 62, and the sheet of material 12b lying under the new top sheetof material 62 forms a new next sheet of material 64.

A bonding material 32b is disposed on each sheet of material 12b in thepad 60 and bondingly and releasably connects each sheet of material 12bto one other sheet of material 12b in the pad 60 whereby one of thesheets of material 12b can be releasably disconnected from another sheetof material 12b by pulling the sheets of material 12b apart. Further,the bonding material 32b bondingly and releasably connects each sheet ofmaterial 12b to portions of itself.

FIGS. 8-11 illustrate one method of use of the present invention. Thewrapping material 10b and the sheet of material 12b illustrated in thisembodiment and used in this method are constructed exactly the same asthe wrapping material 10b and the sheet of material 12b in FIGS. 8-11described in detail previously.

In a general method of use, a floral arrangement 34b is placed on thetop sheet of material 62, the sheet of material 12b being sized to wrapabout and substantially surround and encompass the floral arrangement32b (FIG. 8). The sheet of material 12b is wrapped about the floralarrangement 34b, the sheet of material 12b simultaneously disconnectingfrom the pad 60 of sheets of material 12b as the sheet of material 12bis wrapped about the floral arrangement 34b. A portion of the sheet ofmaterial 12b, such as the fifth side 28b of the sheet of material 12b,overlaps at least one other portion of the sheet of material 12b. Theoverlapping portions of the sheet of material 12b are bonded to thesheet of material 12b by their contact with the bonding material 32b onthe upper surface 14b of the sheet of material 12b which bondinglycontacts and engages the overlapped portions of the sheet of material12b, whereby the fifth side 28b and the second side 22b of the sheet ofmaterial 12b are bonded to overlapping portions of the sheet of material12b generally between the third side 24b and the fourth side 26b of thesheet of material 12b whereby there are no loose flaps formed byunbonded portions of the sheet of material 12b. The sheet of material12b substantially encompasses and surrounds a substantial portion of theflower end 36b of the floral arrangement 34b. The sheet of material 12bis held about the floral arrangement 34b by the bonding contact of theoverlapping portions of the sheet of material 12b, the sheet of material12b being preferably tightly wrapped about the stem end 38b of thefloral arrangement 34b. The sheet of material 12b wrapped about thefloral arrangement 34b forms a conically shaped wrapping (FIG. 11), or,alternatively, a cylindrically shaped wrapping (not shown), or, infurther alternatives, may form any geometric, non-geometric, orasymmetrical shaped wrapping (not shown). Both shapes of wrapping shownherein have an opening extending through a lower end 48b thereof and anopening extending through the upper end 50b thereof with the stem end38b of the floral arrangement 34b extending through the opening in thelower end 48b and the flower end 36b of the floral arrangement 34b beingexposed near the opening in the upper end 50b thereof, the upper end 50bof the wrapping being preferably loosely wrapped about the flower end36b of the floral arrangement 34b.

FIGS. 9-11 show a specific method of use. A plurality of sheets ofmaterial 12b in a pad 60, and a floral arrangement 34b, as describedabove, are provided. The floral arrangement 34b is disposed on the topsheet of material 62 on the pad 60 of sheets of material 12b. Anoperator then lifts a portion of the top sheet 62 (generally the portionnear the fifth side 28b) and places the lifted portion over a portion ofthe floral arrangement 34b, as shown in FIG. 9. In this position, thetop sheet of material 62 is rolled over the floral arrangement 34b, andthe top sheet of material 62 and the floral arrangement 34b are rolledin a general direction 52b (FIGS. 9-10) whereby the top sheet ofmaterial 62 and the floral arrangement 34b contained therein are liftedfrom the next sheet of material 64 (FIG. 10).

The top sheet of material 46 and the floral arrangement 34b containedtherein are rolled in a rolling direction 54b and in the direction 52bgenerally toward the first side 20b of the top sheet of material 62until the floral arrangement 34b is disposed generally adjacent thefirst side 20b of the top sheet of material 46, as shown in FIGS. 10-11.In this position, the operator continues to roll the top sheet ofmaterial 62 and the floral arrangement 34b disposed thereon in therolling direction 54b and in the general direction 52b thereby liftingthe top sheet of material 62 from the next sheet of material 64 andreleasing the top sheet of material 62 from the bonding material 32bdisposed on the next sheet of material 64, the next sheet of material 64generally beneath the top sheet of material 62 and simultaneouslydisconnecting the top sheet of material 62 from the bonding material 32bconnection between the top sheet of material 62 and the next sheet ofmaterial 64. The adjacent upper surface 14b near the fifth side 28b andthe second side 22b of the top sheet of material 62 is then bondinglyconnected to the bonding material 32b on the upper surface 14b of thetop sheet of material 62 near the first side 20b, thereby securelywrapping the floral arrangement 34b, as shown in FIG. 11.

When the top sheet of material 62 has been secured about the floralarrangement 34b in the manner just described, the next sheet of material64, generally under the top sheet of material 62, provides a new topsheet of material 62, the sheet of material 12b under the new top sheetof material 62 providing a new next sheet of material 64, and theprocess can be repeated for wrapping additional or other floralarrangements 34b.

Changes may be made in the embodiments of the invention describedherein, or in parts or elements of the embodiments described herein, orin the sequence of steps of the methods described herein, withoutdeparting from the spirit and/or scope of the invention as defined inthe following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for wrapping a wrapping material about afloral arrangement, comprising the steps of:providing a wrappingmaterial for wrapping a floral arrangement, comprising:a sheet ofmaterial having an upper surface, a lower surface and an outerperiphery, the sheet of material having a tick mark, wherein theplacement of a floral arrangement on the sheet of material is designatedby the tick mark, the sheet of material further having a bondingmaterial disposed thereupon, the sheet of material sized to wrap aboutand substantially surround and encompass a floral arrangement; providinga floral arrangement having an upper end consisting of a flower end anda lower end consisting of a stem end; disposing the floral arrangementon the sheet of material, the floral arrangement being disposed on oradjacent the tick mark; and wrapping the sheet of material about thefloral arrangement by overlapping at least one portion of the sheet ofmaterial with at least one other portion of the sheet of material, oneportion of the sheet of material thereby bondingly contacting andbondingly engaging to at least one other portion of the sheet ofmaterial, the sheet of material thereby substantially encompassing andsurrounding a substantial portion of the floral arrangement, whereindisposing the floral arrangement on or adjacent the tick mark results ina substantial portion of the flower end of the floral arrangement beingsurrounded by the wrapped sheet of material, the stem end of the floralarrangement extending from the wrapped sheet of material.
 2. The methodof claim 1 wherein the step of providing a wrapping material furthercomprises providing the sheet of material having thickness in a rangefrom less than 1 mil to about 30 mils.
 3. The method of claim 1 whereinthe step of providing a wrapping material further comprises providingthe sheet of material having a thickness in a range of less than about0.2 mils to about 10 mils.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step ofproviding a wrapping material further comprises providing the sheet ofmaterial having a thickness in a range of less than about 0.5 mils toabout 2.5 mils.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing awrapping material further comprises providing the sheet of materialselected from the group of materials consisting of paper (treated oruntreated), cellophane, foil, polymer film, cellulose (includingcellophane), fiber (woven or nonwoven or natural or synthetic), cloth(woven or nonwoven or natural or synthetic), burlap, or any combinationthereof.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing awrapping material further comprises providing a plurality of sheets ofmaterial connected together to form a roll of sheets of material, andfurther comprising:withdrawing one sheet of material from the roll; andsevering the one sheet of material from the roll.
 7. The method of claim1 wherein the step of providing a wrapping material further comprisesproviding a plurality of sheets of material connected together to form aroll of sheets of material, and further comprising:unrolling a portionof the wrapping material from the roll; and severing the unrolledportion of the material from the roll of material to form the sheet ofmaterial.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing awrapping material further comprises providing a sheet of materialwherein the tick mark disposed thereon is selected from the groupconsisting of lines, letters, symbols, or a combination thereof.
 9. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the step of wrapping the sheet of materialabout the floral arrangement further comprises forming a wrapping whichis conically shaped.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step ofwrapping the sheet of material about the floral arrangement furthercomprises forming a wrapping which is cylindrically shaped.
 11. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the step of providing a wrapping materialfurther comprises providing a plurality of sheets of material, eachsheet of material having an upper surface, a lower surface, and an outerperiphery, wherein the plurality of sheets of material together comprisea pad of sheets of material, the pad comprising a top sheet of materialand a next sheet of material disposed thereunder, the other sheets ofmaterial being disposed under the next sheet of material in the pad ofsheets of material, and wherein each sheet of material is releasablyremovable from the pad by pulling each sheet of material apart from anadjacent sheet of material.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein the stepof providing a wrapping material further comprises providing the sheetof material wherein the bonding material disposed thereon comprises anadhesive.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing awrapping material further comprises providing the sheet of materialwherein the bonding material disposed thereon comprises a cohesive. 14.The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing a wrapping materialfurther comprises providing a sheet of material wherein the bondingmaterial disposed thereupon has varying bonding characteristics.
 15. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the step of providing a floral arrangementfurther comprises providing the floral arrangement which comprises asingle flower.
 16. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing afloral arrangement further comprises providing the floral arrangementwhich comprises a plurality of flowers.
 17. A method for wrapping awrapping material about a floral arrangement, comprising the stepsof:providing a wrapping material for wrapping a floral arrangement,comprising:a sheet of material having an upper surface, a lower surfaceand an outer periphery, the sheet of material having a tick mark todesignate the placement of a floral arrangement on the sheet ofmaterial, the sheet of material sized to wrap about and substantiallysurround and encompass a floral arrangement; providing a floralarrangement having an upper end consisting of a flower end and a lowerend consisting of a stem end; disposing the floral arrangement on thesheet of material on or adjacent the tick mark; and wrapping the sheetof material about the floral arrangement by overlapping at least oneportion of the sheet of material with at least one other portion of thesheet of material, the sheet of material thereby substantiallyencompassing and surrounding a substantial portion of the floralarrangement, wherein disposing the floral arrangement on or adjacent thetick mark results in a substantial portion of the flower end of thefloral arrangement being surrounded by the wrapped sheet of material.18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of providing a wrappingmaterial further comprises providing the sheet of material havingthickness in a range from less than 1 mil to about 30 mils.
 19. Themethod of claim 17 wherein the step of providing a wrapping materialfurther comprises providing the sheet of material having a thickness ina range of less than about 0.2 mils to about 10 mils.
 20. The method ofclaim 17 wherein the step of providing a wrapping material furthercomprises providing the sheet of material having a thickness in a rangeof less than about 0.5 mils to about 2.5 mils.
 21. The method of claim17 wherein the step of providing a wrapping material further comprisesproviding the sheet of material selected from the group of materialsconsisting of paper (treated or untreated), cellophane, foil, polymerfilm, cellulose (including cellophane), fiber (woven or nonwoven ornatural or synthetic), cloth (woven or nonwoven or natural orsynthetic), burlap, or any combination thereof.
 22. The method of claim17 wherein the step of providing a wrapping material further comprisesproviding a plurality of sheets of material connected together to form aroll of sheets of material, and further comprising:withdrawing one sheetof material from the roll; and severing the one sheet of material fromthe roll.
 23. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of providing awrapping material further comprises providing a plurality of sheets ofmaterial connected together to form a roll of sheets of material, andfurther comprising:unrolling a portion of the wrapping material from theroll; and severing the unrolled portion of the material from the roll ofmaterial to form the sheet of material.
 24. The method of claim 17wherein the step of providing a wrapping material further comprisesproviding a sheet of material wherein the tick mark disposed thereon isselected from the group consisting of lines, letters, symbols, or acombination thereof.
 25. The method of claim 17 wherein the step ofwrapping the sheet of material about the floral arrangement furthercomprises forming a wrapping which is conically shaped.
 26. The methodof claim 17 wherein the step of wrapping the sheet of material about thefloral arrangement further comprises forming a wrapping which iscylindrically shaped.
 27. The method of claim 17 wherein the step ofproviding a wrapping material further comprises providing a plurality ofsheets of material, each sheet of material having an upper surface, alower surface, and an outer periphery, wherein the plurality of sheetsof material together comprise a pad of sheets of material, the padcomprising a top sheet of material and a next sheet of material disposedthereunder, the other sheets of material being disposed under the nextsheet of material in the pad of sheets of material, and wherein eachsheet of material is releasably removable from the pad by pulling eachsheet of material apart from an adjacent sheet of material.
 28. Themethod of claim 17 wherein the step of providing a floral arrangementfurther comprises providing the floral arrangement which comprises asingle flower.
 29. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of providinga floral arrangement further comprises providing the floral arrangementwhich comprises a plurality of flowers.